Life-preserver



(No Model.)

W. S. BEALE. LIFE EEESEEVEE.

No. 513,977. Patented Peb. 6, 1894.

EEL-

UNITED vSTATES.

'PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. BEALE, OF VAN WERT, OHIO.

LIFE-PRESERV'ER.

SPEClIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 513,977, dated February 6, 1894.

i Application filed October 6,1892.

T all whom it may concer-rz,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. BEALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Van Wert, in the county of Van Wert and State of Ohio, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Preservers; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved lifepreserving and swimming apparatus, the olo-v ject of the invention being to provide life-preserving means having a very great buoyancy and effectiveness in actual use, besides being cheap and simple in construction, and also means by the use of which thewearer or user may be able to swim with greater or less rapidity, so that he may not only be buoyed up in the water but may also be able to propel himself about in active efforts to save himself, and further to provide an apparatus or means which in addition to being useful for saving life may be of advantage in ordinary swimming, either for practice or pleasure, and the invention therefore consists essentially in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts and in numerous details in the construction and combination, substantially as will be hereinafter described and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the practical application and use of my improved life-preserving and swimming apparatus. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of that part of the life-preserver which is applied to the body around the Waist after the manner of a vest. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail side view of one of the hollow bamboo sticks which are used to give the life-preserver its buoyancy. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout all the different figures of the drawings.

The main part of my life preserver comprises a buoyant band which encircles the 5o waist or body of the wearer and acts to keep Serial No. 448,051. (No model.)

him ailoat in the water, with his head above the surface. This band may be made of any suitable and desirable shape and size. I preferably make it in the form of a'vest, as A, having the arm holes a a and the neck opening h and provided with buttons as shown in Fig. 2, or straps as shown in Fig. l, or with any other suitable fastening means'whereby it can be secured tightly around the body, be-

ling thus readily applied to or taken from the 6o latter. This vest lform A is furnished with devices which act to keep it afloat in the water and eectually prevent it from sinking. These devices consist of hollow pieces of bamboo B, cut to any suitable and desirable length. The ends of the pieces B are filled with stoppers B B', preferablymade of cork and hermetically sealed. Furthermore, the bamboo pieces B are provided at one or both ends with cords C, tightly secured thereto. 7o The mode of fastening these cords may vary, but I preferably attach them as shown in Fig. i where it will be seen that the cord is first dropped into the end of the bamboo piece and then the stopper B inserted against it, there- 7 5 by holding it Iirmly.

The bamboo pieces B are arranged in any desired manner upon the Vest A. My object is to attach a sufcient number of these bamboo pieces in as eective a way as possible to 8o the vest A so that the latter may be rendered perfectly buoyant and capable of sustaining any ordinary weight that may be required, that is to say, the bodyof any person who may use these life-preserving means. 8 5

In Figs. l and 2, I have shown a preferable way of arranging the bamboo pieces. In said figures it will be seen that there are acouple of rows E E, of these bamboo sticks arranged around the lower edge of the vest A and an- 9o other couple of rows D, are placed across the breast of the vest. The members of the several rows are secured together to the Vest by intertwining and inter-securing cords C, said cords being knotted, interwoven or tied toi 9 5 gether in any effective and convenient fash- Ion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is#- IOO B', hermetically sealed therein and said pieces B being provided with cords C which are interwoven with each other and connected to the vest, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM S. BEALE.

Witnesses:

JNO. VAN LIEW, W. W. WILSON. 

